


Dreaming

by KissedByAShadow



Series: Shadowhunters 3x16 Ficlets [1]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV), Shadowhunters (TV) RPF, The Shadowhunter Chronicles - All Media Types, malec - Fandom
Genre: Angst, Dreams, Dreams and Nightmares, Dreams vs. Reality, Illusions, M/M, Pain, Unconsciousness, Waiting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-29
Updated: 2019-03-29
Packaged: 2019-12-25 21:19:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,713
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18269516
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KissedByAShadow/pseuds/KissedByAShadow
Summary: "Right." Alec says shortly, reaching forward to grab onto Magnus's forearms, pulling them against each other again. "Shouldn't we be getting started, then?" He asks, leaning down to brush his lips lightly against Magnus's, before tilting his head sideway to press their lips together entirely.And then reality snaps him awake, and he finds himself seated in the Institute's infirmary, an unconscious Magnus by his side.





	Dreaming

**Author's Note:**

> This is my third angsty fic regarding 3x16. Maybe I should just make this a series?
> 
> Disclaimer: For now, this work is unedited.

_"Alexander?" Magnus calls out, his tone playful. Alec grins._

_"Yes?" He asks, teasing. He pads across the floor silently, his bare feet noiseless against the plush carpet Magnus insisted they lay all over their bedroom. It would keep them warmer during the winter, was what he'd told Alec. That had been mostly untrue - designer carpets weren't big on utility - but the woven fabric had served another purpose after all._

_"Come on, Alexander. Where are you?" Magnus asks. Instantly, Alec's mind is filled with a mental image of Magnus's shoulders slumping as he searches for Alec in the dark - and comes up fruitless. They'd been at this game for a while now, ever since the electricity had gone out due to a sudden power surge a few hours ago. Magnus had insisted that he could light the loft up, and quite possibly the entire apartment, but Alec was having none of that. For one, he didn't want Magnus draining himself to supply electricity to so many people, not when the shortage was quite possibly caused by his own shadowhunters in the first place, and for another, he was having too much fun to go back now._

_"This wouldn't be much fun if I told you, now, would there?" Alec replies, his smile stretching impossibly wide across his face as Magnus lets out a heavy sigh, clearly intending to be heard._

_"Fine." He boyfriend says, melodramatically, as always. "But mark my words, shadowhunter, when I find you, there will be consequences." He warns, his voice immediately shifting into an octave lower than usual, his tone husky. At that, Alec sucks in a sharp breath, willing himself to remain still, right where he is. He can't have Magnus winning this. He's succumbed to his boyfriend's flirtatious charms more than once._

_"Are you seriously not giving me a response for that?" When Alec remains resolutely silent, Magnus lets out a huff._

_"Fine." He grumbles. A second later, the sound of soft footsteps fills the loft._

_Alec stands in his secret spot in silence, almost giggling with anticipation. Magnus was never going to find him, he was way too well hidden, this was-_

_"I found you."_

_"Gah!" He startles slightly, stumbling over his feet as he turns on his heels to face darkness. He can sense Magnus's warmth in front of him, however, and immediately reaches forward, fumbling for a moment before latching onto Magnus's arm and pulling him close._

_"Well, I think I've won." Magnus says, bringing his face up close to Alec so he can literally feel the smirk on Magnus's face._

_"I didn't realize this was supposed to be a competition." Alec murmurs, their lips brushing together in a smile as he repeats the very words he said to Magnus a long, long time ago._

_"Oh, am I supposed to just let you win?" Magnus retorts, playing along._

_Alec chuckles, leaning down to kiss Magnus, but frowns when he comes up with nothing but air._

_"Magnus, what-"_

_"I did warn you about the punishment, Alexander." Magnus says, his tone sultry. Alec grins._

_"You do realize this isn't supposed to be fun, right?" Magnus asks dryly, noting Alec's sudden enthusiasm, although it's impossible to miss the glee in his own voice as well._

_"Right." Alec says shortly, reaching forward to grab onto Magnus's forearms, pulling them against each other again. "Shouldn't we be getting started, then?" He asks, leaning down to brush his lips lightly against Magnus's, before tilting his head sideway to press their lips together entirely._

_For the second time, he's greeted with air._

_"Magnus, come on." He complains, almost whines, as he lets his hands flop to his sides. When Magnus doesn't respond, he tries again._

_"Magnus?"_

_"Alec?"_

_"Magnus, this isn't fair."_

_"Alec?"_

_"I'm right here, Magnus. Now get over here."_

_"Alec?"_

_"Magnus?" He asks again, picking up on the sudden worry in Magnus's tone. "What's wrong?"_

_"Alec? Alec? Alec!"_

Suddenly, his eyes snap open, only to be greeted with a harsh flash of fluorescent lights. Instantly, he shuts his eyes, his hand coming up to shield his face. He feels groggy and disoriented, and there's a sharp ringing in his head that only makes it hurt more. Pangs of worry are attacking his chest, flooding through his system, but he can't quite figure out where they're coming from yet. 

And then he feels a familiar hand on his shoulder, and it all comes rushing back to him. 

"Catarina?" He says roughly, his eyelids fluttering open as he turns around to face the warlock, who's looking at him with a concerned expression on her face. A second later, he realizes where he is, and what he's doing there. 

"Magnus." He gasps, turning back around so fast he almost gives himself whiplash. Hope floods through his system, and for a moment, just a moment, Alec foolishly allows it to. 

And then reality smacks him in the face, and his heart plummets to the ground, his entire body stiffening.

Magnus isn't awake.

 _Yet_ , he reminds himself, the voice inside his head as desperate as he feels.  

"How is he?" He asks hoarsely, unconsciously reaching for Magnus's hand to clasp the warlock's fingers in his own, his other hand scrubbing tiredly across his face as he suppresses a yawn - one of many that he's been holding back ever since Magnus fell unconscious in his office, his body convulsing in Alec's arms. 

"His vitals haven't changed since yesterday." Catarina informs him with a sigh, pushing the gory image out of his head. He nods, his mind still too asleep to register what she said. 

It's only moment later that it does. 

 _Yesterday_.

"How- how long was I asleep?" He asks her shakily. Catarina, who's busy checking the image of Magnus's brain displayed on the monitor in front of them - one that has one too many red spots for Alec's comfort - shrugs, her hands fluttering frantically across the screen. 

"About a day, I think." She murmurs distractedly.

Alec closes his eyes. 

Pants of guilt rush through him. He's been asleep for a  _day_. That means he's missed out on an entire day's worth of Institute work, and an entire day of watching over Magnus. Izzy was carrying paperwork back and forth from the office as it was. Who handled everything while he was knocked out? 

And Magnus, who took care of him? Alec spoke to him everyday, Catarina had told him to. He wasn't sure if he was doing it for himself or Magnus anymore, but Catarina had told him that it did help Magnus.

And _god_ , the Clave was already behind him for not spending enough time working. He didn't mind it much, but if they found out that he'd taken an entire day off, there would definitely be consequences. One's that may or may not directly affect Magnus. They might even more him out of the Institute, or-

"Alec." Catarina says firmly, placing a hand on his shoulder for the second time that day. He startles, looking up at her with wide eyes.

"Yeah?" He breathes out, unsure of what she might have to say to him. Before she even begins to speak, he takes note of the worry in her eyes, and his mind instantly goes to every terrible scenario he can possibly imagine.

"Stop it." She says, and for a second, he's confused about what she could possibly mean by that. 

"Stop worrying so much." She clarifies, shaking her head condescendingly. "Magnus will be just fine, okay?"

Alec nods quietly, expecting her to walk away after that, but she doesn't, keeping her eyes trained on him instead. He looks up at her, her expression wise and knowing, and he feels the sudden urge to tell her everything on his mind. 

He doesn't, of course, but he does let her know what he's worrying about.

"Did anyone talk to him?" He asks, his voice hushed. He isn't embarrassed by the question, though, not in the slightest. His mind is much to messed up to feel anything other than panic. 

"I did." Catarina reassures him, a smile on her face. 

"And the Institute work?" He questions.

"Isabelle did it." Catarina tells him. "She came by with a few files, but when she say you were asleep, she left."

At that, Alec shuts his eyes, his guilt only intensifying as he thinks of Izzy taking over the Institute. It's not that she hasn't done it before, but that's only usually for a day, when Alec is sick, or needs to spend some time with Magnus, or simply just needs a day off. She's been doing his work for the past week already.

"I wouldn't worry to much about that, if I were you." Catarina continues. "Your siblings are very understanding. Much more than mine were." She adds, her eyes melancholy, her expression far, far away. Alec knows there's a story behind that look, there always is, and he vows to ask her about it sometime. He can't right now though, not when everything is wrong already. 

"Okay." He says instead. And then, quietly: "Thank you." 

With that, Catarina nods once more - in understanding this time - and steps away from Alec, checking the monitor one time before leaving the room.

Alec stretches his back, the muscles tensing before they relax. He feels stiff and sore, one of the many unfortunate side effects of falling asleep hunched up between a chair and a hospital bed - not that he's paying much attention to his aches. He reaches forward, swiping a fond hair over Magnus's forehead in an attempt to push the unruly bangs he insists on keeping no matter what away, his mind drifting away to the dreams that just filled with him a sudden, oddly placed warmth. It's a stark contrast to what he really feels, his heart throbbing in his chest, his fingers trembling with the slightest movement as barely concealed terror courses through his veins.

He longs to go back to the time when he had Magnus by his side, yearns for the time when he could face hell - literally - but always with the sound knowledge that he could go back home to Magnus. And now? 

Now, he isn't sure what to do. 

 _Magnus has to wake up_ , he thinks, _because I can't go on without him._

**Author's Note:**

> One word: Xia.
> 
> Y'all know who she is. That's one lucky baby, she has an entire fan base ready to do literally anything for her already. 
> 
> Here's why Xia is even more special than she already is:
> 
> 1\. She was born exactly one month before her dad's birthday.  
> 2\. She was born exactly one day before Malec's first kiss anniversary.  
> 3\. She was born on the day of the GLAAD Awards. 
> 
> That was my Ted talk, thank you for coming.
> 
> Harry could literally waltz into any of our houses, plop Xia in our arms, say "babysit her" and leave abruptly, and not a single one of us would mind.
> 
> Okay, I'm done with my rant. 
> 
> P.S. Sorry about all the typos, I'll fix them in a while.


End file.
